Honoring veterans and their families
As a veteran I am grateful for those who recognize the job which we have done on behalf of the rest of the population. I am also acutely aware that the families of those who serve are often single parents, partners, mothers, dads, siblings, and others. Often they are doing double duty while the service person is away or, if together, packing up, making a new home, and soon packing up again while also tending to all the needs of the children and often extended relatives.
Some have and are serving in combat area or potentially combat area. I have not. Some will come home in a coffin. All will come home with visible and invisible wounds. None will return home untouched by grief which threatens to steal their soul; grief over the loss of friends and others who served with them; grief over the necessity of learning to label and treat other humans as disconnected from one’s own humanness. Anytime we do the latter one has to also let go of a piece of one’s own humanness. We are, after all, tribal being and we can no longer deny that we are part of a larger universe which comprises one tribe.
It seems to me that if we truly want to honor past, present and future service people we will do all we can to avoid creating and labeling each other as enemies. Obviously, this is not easy or humans would have accomplished this task eons ago. Still I suspect the following might be some steps in our thought process which could lead to a less violent world:
In essence all these are recommendations consistent with what I understand to be the basic teachings of most of the world’s religions and philosophies. They are also consistent with the 12 steps of AA, NA, MA, OA, EA, SA and other 12 step programs.
No war begins in a vacuum. There is a history which precedes gunfire and other violence. There are always prophets who warn us of the dangers of treating any person, community or nation as less than. There are always those who know that an attachment to power, money, things, self-righteousness, or arrogance will ultimately lead to self-destruction. If we want to honor service people – past, present and future - we would do well to listen to these prophets.
Written November 11, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
As a veteran I am grateful for those who recognize the job which we have done on behalf of the rest of the population. I am also acutely aware that the families of those who serve are often single parents, partners, mothers, dads, siblings, and others. Often they are doing double duty while the service person is away or, if together, packing up, making a new home, and soon packing up again while also tending to all the needs of the children and often extended relatives.
Some have and are serving in combat area or potentially combat area. I have not. Some will come home in a coffin. All will come home with visible and invisible wounds. None will return home untouched by grief which threatens to steal their soul; grief over the loss of friends and others who served with them; grief over the necessity of learning to label and treat other humans as disconnected from one’s own humanness. Anytime we do the latter one has to also let go of a piece of one’s own humanness. We are, after all, tribal being and we can no longer deny that we are part of a larger universe which comprises one tribe.
It seems to me that if we truly want to honor past, present and future service people we will do all we can to avoid creating and labeling each other as enemies. Obviously, this is not easy or humans would have accomplished this task eons ago. Still I suspect the following might be some steps in our thought process which could lead to a less violent world:
- Adopting the belief that all people are equally deserving to share in the resources of mother earth.
- Acceptance that the god our understanding is no more and no less valid than the God of the understanding of others.
- Acceptance that no one owns the earth – soil, vegetation, streams, air and other water resources – but all are merely stewards.
- Acceptance that judging, bullying, and threatening others are not conducive to working together.
- Refusal to treat guns and other weapons as merchandize on which to make a profit or as a means of achieving global harmony.
- Open borders based on European Union model which is in early stages of development and which needs many tweaks.
- Practicing honesty, open mindedness and willingness to see with a different lens.
- Quit pointing fingers and when we do looking at those pointing back at one. Practicing focusing on one’s own issues.
- Focus on cleaning up one’s own house before acting as if one has right to tell others how to clean up their house.
In essence all these are recommendations consistent with what I understand to be the basic teachings of most of the world’s religions and philosophies. They are also consistent with the 12 steps of AA, NA, MA, OA, EA, SA and other 12 step programs.
No war begins in a vacuum. There is a history which precedes gunfire and other violence. There are always prophets who warn us of the dangers of treating any person, community or nation as less than. There are always those who know that an attachment to power, money, things, self-righteousness, or arrogance will ultimately lead to self-destruction. If we want to honor service people – past, present and future - we would do well to listen to these prophets.
Written November 11, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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